This week I’ve had some VERY different singers in for back-to-back sessions. Some have been much lighter voices that have an abundance of range and ease, and others are weightier voices that operate well at a much higher intensity than most.
It struck me that I’ve not often talked about the ideal volume for singing and practicing singing. So let’s cover it.
Short version
Singing around the volume of your natural speaking voice is about right. It’s the goldilocks zone. Not too loud, not too quiet.
The key word is around the volume of your natural speaking voice, because…
Long version
We don’t sing at just ONE volume. Variation in volume is essential for dynamics, to express and to indicate emotion throughout a song. As such, I’m not advocating for ONE singular volume level.
What I AM saying, is that the natural volume and weight of your speaking voice reflects the natural weight and optimal calibration for volume of your singing voice. Singing with prolonged excess or insufficient volume tends to detract from the quality and the longevity of the instrument.
Too Loud
If we try to be substantially louder than this for extended periods, we are asking too much of our instruments, and fatigue/damage tends to result. It also tends to get a sub-optimal lower quality tone from our instruments – like hammering a guitar or piano rather than playing it appropriately to get the best out of whatever instrument it is. Continue reading “How loud should I be singing?”